Power transmission



Dec. 1 7, 1946.

J. ROBINSON POWER TRANSMISSION Filed Nov 29, 1940 JAMES ROBINSON INVENTOR ZZZ/(.4

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 17,1946

James Robinson, Detroit, Mich;

assignor Vickers Incorporated, Detroit, Mioh. a corporation of Michigan Application November 29, 1940, seem No. scares This invention relates to power transmissions, particularly to those of the type comprising two 50laims. (oi. 103-162) or more fluid pressure energy translating devices,

one of which may function as a pump and another as a fluid motor.

The invention is more particularly concerned with a fluid pressure energy translating device adapted to function as a pump or motor in an open-circuit type of power transmission system and particularly suited for high speed operation. In'systems of this character, particularly those of smaller size, which are capable of operating at speeds of several thousand revolution per minute, considerable trouble has been encountered with air getting into the working circuit and the well-known attendant difliculties arising when this occurs. The term pump is used hereafter inthe specification and claims as embracing both a pump and a fiuid motor.

Pumps of the typehaving a. wet case, that is, one which is normally filled with substantially idle power transmission liquid, utilize the casing as a means-for collecting the fluid leaking past the piston and valve mechanism and for returning it to the expansion tank provided in the customary open-circuit system. It is frequently desirable to locate the pump-at a considerable dis- I tance from the expansion tank as, for example,

aboard aircraft where the pump may be located at a wing-mounted engine of the plane and the expansion tank positioned at some convenient remote place in the fuselage. In such cases it is undesirable to run a separate casing drain line hetween the casing and the expansion tank so that resortis had to usingithe pump suction line for both feeding the inlet of the pump and for receiving excess leakage fluid from the pump casing.

Where systems of this character are operated at high speed, as theyusually are in aircraft; installations, considerable difllculty has-been experienced in keeping air out of the working circuit. Applicant has found that with systems of this character it occasionally happens that, due to the resistance of the pressure therein is reduced below atmospheric by 1 the high speed operation of the pump, and as a consequence the interior of the correspondingly subjected to negative pressure. This premits air to badrawn into the pump casing through the oil seal atthe shaft, and since the casing is connected to the pump suction line, such air is eventually delivered to the working circuit or the pump. y 1 It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved means and method for prepump suction line, the

Dump casing is venting seepage of air into of a wet casing type pump. I

A further object is to Provide an improved means and method for initially filling the casin of a pump of this character. Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the. following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing: I

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a wet case pump embodying a preferred form of the present invention.

' Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing diagrammatically a conventional open-circuit type of power transmission system in which the pump is connected.

Referring now to Figure'l, the pump comprises two tubular casing members it and i2 disposed at an angle relative to one another, the

member I carrying anti-friction bearings II on which a flanged drive shaft It is mounted. An oil seal l8 closes the righthand end of the casing It. The shaft. I6 is adapted to be driven by the shaft of a suitable primemover indicated at and which is spline-connected to the flanged shaft II." I

so The righthand end of the shaft It carries a flange 22 which is provided with a plurality of ball Joints 24 by which piston rods 26 are articulated to the flange 22. At their opposite ends the piston rods 26 carry ball-Jointed pistons 28 reciprocable in cylinder bores 80. The latter are formed in a cylinder barrel 32 which is journalied on an anti-friction bearing 34 carried by a hollow stub shaft 88." The-latter M valve .plate block 38 which in turn is secured to the open end of easing member If. A Cardan shaft 40, having universal joints 4! at its opposite ends, connects the cylinder barrel 32 to the shaft it for conjoint rotation therewith.

The valve plate is provided with-the usual annuiar valving surface it having a pair of arcuate ports 46 and 48 formed therein and communicontact with the valve I which is positioned between the bearing 34 and eating with pressure and suction-connections Il' shaft 40 is urged to the left and 82. ,The Cardan against a spherical abutment block It spring-pressed abutment block it hand end. The cylinder barrel" a at its ightis urged into plate 38 by a spring 58 shoulder I at the lefthand side of the block 32.

'For the purpose of preventing drawing in of air I the working circui is secured to a to the interior of the pump casing there is provided an outlet path for the leakage oil which is constantly being fed into the interior of the easing at a slow rate by leakage between the valve plate and cylinder barrel as well as leakage past the piston comprises a cross bore-62 formed in the block 88 and communicating with a longitudinal passage 64 in the Cardan shaft 48. This passage in turn communicates with a passage 68 in the block 84 which communicates with the hollow interior of stub shaft 86. The latter is also provided with cross bores 68 which receive leakage flowing radially inward across the pressure surface 44 of the valve plate 88. a I

Mounted in the lefthand end of the hollow stub shaft 36 is a relief valve III which is backed by a 28. The outlet provided for this oil lightspring 12. The spring abutment block 14 f and the stub shaft 86 are locked to the valve plate 88 by a pin 16 which is accessible by a pipe plug 18. The relief valve 18 discharges through an angular cross bore 88 which communicates with the suction port 52. Y

. The pump described may be connected in the.

usual open-circuit hydraulic power transmission system as illustrated in Figure 2. Thus the suction port 52 is connected by a suction conduit 82 with the usual expansion tank 84. The delivery connection 68 connects by means of a conduit 88 through the suction conduit 82 and delivering it from delivery port 58 through pressure conduit 88. r customarily the valve 88 is left in neutral position in which the pump is bypassed, and the pump is operated for some time until-the air has been completely removed from the system as evidenced by the inability to bleed air from the pressure line 86' when valve 88 is cracked open.

During this operation of the pump, any air origi- I nally present inthe pump casing will be transferred to the working circuit in the following manner:

As leakage occurs from the working circuit to the interior of thefcasing, the body of liquid is gradually built up therein which at first, by its mere presence in the casing, tends to displace air out through the outlet path beginning at the passage 62 until the relief valve 10 is reached. As more and more liquid enters the casing, this liquid will-be churned around by the revolving parts setting up a centrifugal action keeping the .liquid in the radially outermost portion of the casing and pocketing any air present in the centraP portion of the casing. As the liquid con,- tinues to enter the casing, the pressure builds up until the relief valve 10 opens, at which time a small flow takes place continuously through the relief valve and passage 88 to the suction port 52. It will be seen that noliquid can escapethrough this path until all the air in the casing hasbeen displaced since; due to the different densities of the liquid and the air, the centrifugal force will maintain the liquid in the outer part of the easing until all of theair. has been forced out through the outlet passage 62. From this point on, the leakage liquid will begin flowing through the outlet path and continue so to flow as long as the pump keeps operating. Due to the back pressure maintained by relief valve l0, anynegative pressure created in suction port 62 by high speed operation and by the resistance of conduit 82 can never reach the interiorof the casing l2 so that, in order for oil will be drawn in through the seal and that a small seepage will take place through the seal suilicient to keep thelatter lubricated and prevent its burning at the high speeds of operation customarily encountered.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a reciprocating piston pump of the type having a sealed casing of fixed liquid volume and having separate suction and delivery portsthe combination of means forming a connection between the casing and the suction port of the pump and constituting the'sole exit from the easing and a pressureresponsive valve in said connection adapted to confine all leakage fluid to the casing until a predetermined positive pressure is reached in the casing, said connection leading from a point near the center of revolution of the pump parts whereby all air originally present in the casing will be discharged from the delivery port duringvinitial operation of the pump.

2. In a reciprocating piston pump of the type having a sealed casing of fixed liquid volume and having separate suction and delivery ports and rotating working parts disposed within and discharging leakage fluid into the casing the combination of an outlet constituting the sole exit from said casing and communicating withsaid suction port and a pressure responsive valve in said outlet for maintaining a slight positive pressure in said casing.

3. In a reciprocating piston pump of the type having a sealed casing of fixed liquid volume and having separate suction and delivery ports and a rotary cylinder barrel journalled on a hollow pin mounted on a wall of saidcasing, the combination of means forming a connection between the casing and the suction port of the pump and including said hollow pin as a part thereof and a pressure responsive valve in said hollow pin adapted to confine all leakage fluid to the casing until a predetermined positive pressure is reached in the casing.

4. In a reciprocating piston pump of the type having a sealed casing of fixed liquid volume and having separate suction and delivery ports and having a rotary cylinder barrel provided with a plurality of axially disposed cylinder bores disposed within and discharging leakage fluid into the casing, the combination of an outlet constituting the sole exit from said casing and communicating with said suction port and a pressure responsive valve in said outlet for maintaining a slight positive pressure in said casing.

5. In a reciprocating piston pump of the type having a sealed casing of fixed liquid volume and 5 having separate suction and delivery ports and having a rotary cylinder barrel provided with a plurality of axially disposed cylinder bores disposed within and discharging leakage fluid into the casing, the combination of a single outlet from 1 

